Food Makes the World Go Round
by slyveoff
Summary: A cheesy high school AU where Ryuuko and her gang vow to take down Satsuki Kiryuuin of the student council, who is the leader of a gang herself. Yet on the first day of her second year, Ryuuko meets Mako Mankanshoku, and life ends up taking a completely different path than Ryuuko planned.
1. Chapter 1

Kill la Kill [AU]

Ryumako/Mankatoi (Ryuuko Matoi x Mako Mankanshoku)

Food Makes the World Go Round

A cheesy high school AU where Ryuuko and her gang vow to take down Satsuki Kiryuuin of the student council, who is the leader of a gang herself. Yet on the first day of her second year, Ryuuko meets Mako Mankanshoku, and life ends up taking a completely different path than Ryuuko planned.

**(AN: I am so embarrassed when I uploaded it the formatting got messed up and I didn't find out until Shinnypichu88 pointed it out. Aaaah! Thank you so much for pointing it out! On another note we aim to update this every Monday. You can also read this on tumblr .com)**

Today marked her first day of her second year of high school, and Ryuuko Matoi was determined to make this year different. This year would finally be the year she'd kick Satsuki Kiryuuin off her throne. She leaned against the wall with her hands in the pocket of her sports jacket, giving a stern look to the group of delinquents in front of her who looked back at her with high expectations.

"Alright, I'm warnin' you guys right here and now so you don't go cryin' when it happens. If any of you lil' shits got lazy over summer break and aren't in the right condition to fight Kiryuuin then not only will you get your sorry ass kicked by her, but you can expect a good beatin' from me too. Don't think I'll go easy on you guys just 'cause it's the beginning of the school year. After that, I don't want you tryin' to act all buddy-buddy with me again. I don't need any more idiots slowing' me down, 'specially since we're gonna have to work twice as hard this year if we want to show her what we're really made of! Y'all understand?"

Most of the gang cheered while a few quietly grumbled under their breath, but regardless there was a unanimous "Yes ma'am!" Ryuuko nodded her approval and motioned that the gang could be dismissed, just in time for the first bell to ring. She made her way to her homeroom class with thoughts of defeating Kiryuuin solely on her mind.

When she got there, she noticed a seating chart placed on the board. Upon further inspection she found that she was assigned to sit in seat 7. 'Lucky seven eh?' She thought as she walked to the left side of the room. When Ryuuko reached her seat and threw her backpack from over her shoulder onto the top of her desk. She was taking her seat when she noticed that the girl to her left was sound asleep on her desk.

"Tch. What's the point of comin' if you're just gonna sleep right away?" Ryuuko muttered under her breath. She folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her seat, staring at the ceiling as she waited for class to start. Her brows furrowed in thought, strategies racing through her mind. Satsuki was a worthy opponent who always had many tricks up her sleeve, so Ryuuko had been trying to get in the habit of thinking her actions through. Though if Ryuuko were honest with herself, she would most likely end up ditching her plan and going head first into battle. 'If I could outnumber her and mix in a sneak attack maybe I can catch her off guard …' She thought.

"Ah I see some familiar faces this year!" an old, deep and scratchy voice said, dragging Ryuuko out of her thoughts, "For those who don't know, my name is Mr. Mikisugi. I look forward to having a good year with you all!" Mr. Mikisugi stood at the front of the classroom, smiling as he held a pile of papers in his hands

"We look forward to having a good year with you too, Mr. Mikisugi" was what the classroom had tried to say all together; however, no one was in sync with each other and what they had intended to say ended up being a nearly incomprehensible mess. The only reason Ryuuko could tell what they were trying to say was because it was the same thing they said to teachers every damn year.

"Let's start with roll call, shall we?" Mr. Mikisugi asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question. "After I call your name line up at the door so we can head to the entrance ceremony."

He began roll and the students were lining up at the door one by one, talking in hushed whispers to each other. Ryuuko had barely been paying attention, as the pattern of her teacher's static voice calling out someone's name and the little increase in volume as more people started conversing got real old, real fast. Yet this pattern was broken when Mr. Mikisugi headed straight towards Ryuuko's general area. 'What the hell did I do?' Ryuuko thought; until it occurred to her that Mr. Mikisugi wasn't heading towards her, but towards the girl seated next to her, who was still sound asleep. He knocked on her desk in an attempt to wake her up.

"Mankanshoku the day hasn't even started yet, let alone the year. Please don't start bad habits and go line up for the entrance ceremony." 'Mankanshoku' pulled her head up, some dried drool on the side of her mouth and her short brown hair a mess. She rubbed her brown eyes and nodded groggily. She stood up and wiped the drool of her face and slowly made her way to the door. Eventually, Ryuuko took her place in line, and soon everyone else had done so as well. Mr. Mikisugi headed towards the front of the line and began to guide them to the auditorium where the entrance ceremony would take place.

The entrance ceremony was the same thing it had been every year Ryuuko had attended school. She fixed her eyes and saw her worst enemy, Satsuki, and her mother, Ragyo, come onto the stage. They said they hoped everyone had a good summer and was prepared for another school year; however, Ryuuko wasn't buying it one bit. 'Why should it be a custom to act like you care? That ain't polite at all,' she thought. As the announcements for the upcoming school year continued, Ryuuko was indulging herself in thoughts of destroying Satsuki.

After the entrance ceremony was over, the class followed Mr. Mikisugi back to the classroom, talking the whole way back about what happened during the summer and fun ways to kick off the school year. Teachers came in and out to introduce themselves for the class they would be teaching that year and tried to get lessons started right away; however, not much had been accomplished and before they knew it, they had already been dismissed for lunch.

A few people left the classroom to go sit on the roof or sit by the track, yet most of the class stayed inside. Ryuuko stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder and began to rush to the back of the furthest building in the school: the designated hangout for her and her gang to discuss private matters. It wasn't exactly private, but Kiryuuin Satsuki and her gang always ate lunch on the roof, 'so they can look down on everyone,' Ryuuko reasons. As she approached the general area, many heads turned to greet her. There was a mixture of "Finally, she's here" and genuine heartfelt greetings.

"Alright, I was brainstormin' a few ideas to get at Kiryuuin all class. We might need to recruit a few new members first. We'd wanna do it fast 'cause we don't want Princess to start suspectin' somethin' and—"

"Yo boss, uh, sorry t' interrupt n' all but there's someone else here." Ryuuko sighed in annoyance and looked over her shoulder, allowing her to see the figure of a small girl with brown hair eating her lunch. Ryuuko's face scrunched up and she gritted her teeth. "Ooh, you're mad, aren't cha'? Ya gonna go teach her to min' her own business? Or ya gonna try n' recruit her?" The gang exclaimed, unsure of how their leader will act. Ryuuko squinted her eyes, the figure looking familiar the longer she stared.

"This may be the perfect place to give someone a beatin' but I'm not gonna do it unless it's one of Princess' knights. I'll go tell 'er to leave and if she doesn't, then we'll have a problem." She made her way towards the small girl, stuffing her hands in her pocket. With a scowl on her face, she looked down at the other, "Oy punk."

Big brown eyes lit up as they looked up at her. "Oh, hey Ryuuko-chan!" Mankanshoku happily greeted, still looking up at the other while stuffing her face with food. Ryuuko tensed a bit at the way she addressed her so familiarly. 'Does she think I'm her friend or somethin'?'

"Listen Mankanshoku, you gotta—"

"Mako."

"Huh?"

"Call me Mako." Sighing in annoyance, Ryuuko started over again.

"Listen _Mako_. You gotta go, this is gang territory." Mako tilted her head in confusion, face stuffed with food. "Hey, I'm givin' ya 3 options here, that's generous! You can either leave, stay and fight—though ya don't seem like much of a fighter—or you could—" Before Ryuuko could finish, Mako had shoved a bite of unidentifiable food in her mouth, "Mphf?!" 'The hell?'

"Say 'aaaah', Ryuuko-chan!"

(Whole team)


	2. Chapter 2

Kill la Kill [AU]

Ryumako/Mankatoi (Ryuuko Matoi x Mako Mankanshoku)

Food Makes the World Go Round

Chapter 2 [Read Chapter 1]

A cheesy high school AU where Ryuuko and her gang vow to take down Satsuki Kiryuuin of the student council, who is the leader of a gang herself. Yet on the first day of her second year, Ryuuko meets Mako Mankanshoku, and life ends up taking a completely different path than Ryuuko planned.

* * *

"Say 'aaaah', Ryuuko-chan!" Acting on instinct, Ryuuko slapped the chopsticks holding a croquette between them away from her face and onto the ground. "Ooo, you're crankier than I thought you were Ryuuko-chan!"

"Come an eyebrow, "I was trying to talk to you and you just shove food in my face!" again?" Ryuuko cocked

"Of course!" Mako said as she stood up, "You seem cranky! You probably didn't get a lot of sleep during the summer!"  
'Huh?' Mako grabbed Ryuuko's face and seemed to study it.

"Yup! You have bags under your eyes for sure. No wonder you seem so cranky! You probably woke up late because you were so tired and didn't have time to eat breakfast. Mhmm, that explains it!"

"Oy, oy! Could you please try and make a bit more sense? Why'dya try shoving food down my throat?" Mako folded her arms and shook her head.

"Food makes the world go round, Ryuuko-chan!

"Eh? Don't you mean love?"

"Nope! Food makes the world go round!" Mako said as she drew a circle with her fingers, "Since the dawn of time, a lack of food has made people angry enough to revolt against their leaders!" She began to act out a scene of an old beggar protesting, "If these revolutions were to happen today it would be going against modernization!" Now she was hunched over and rubbing her chopsticks together as if she was a caveman trying to make a fire with two sticks, "So you have to eat Ryuuko-chan!" She pretended to be Ryuuko as she stomped on the food left on the ground, "Don't be angry Ryuuko-chan," and then acted out a one man scene of what Ryuuko guessed was supposed to be her taking out the Prime Minister of Japan, "Don't start a revolt!"

Ryuuko's eyes met the ground. 'Ironically I am kinda plannin' a revolt, but not 'cause I'm hungry or anythin'" She opened her mouth to say something to Mako, but the bell rang. 'Fuckin' A, looks like I'm the slacker in the gang. Can't even get one girl t' leave.' After looking up, Ryuuko realized Mako was still there staring straight at her.

"What do ya, want?'

"To walk back to class together, silly!" Realizing she had no choice, Ryuuko looked over her shoulder to her group of idiots who snickered at her. She shot them a glare and motioned with her hand that they could leave. Turning around to Mako, Ryuuko put her hands in her jacket pockets and began making her way back to the classroom. Noticing that the bubbly girl wasn't at her side, Ryuuko stopped and looked back.  
"You comin' toots?" Mako had picked up the food that was on the ground and threw it away in the trashcan before jogging to Ryuuko's side, tripping a bit over her own feet. 'Damn, I feel kinda bad. Even though it wasn't that much of her lunch, it was still wasted.' Mako reached Ryuuko and waited for her to start walking. Instead, Ryuuko avoided eye contact and brushed a hand through her hair, "Hey, uh, listen. Sorry 'bout your lunch. I'll buy ya somethin' at the vendin' machine on the way back, sound fair?"

"Ooo, really? Iced coffee it is then, Ryuuko-chan!"

"Yea, yea." The two began to make their way back to the classroom in silence. Ryuuko could obviously tell that Mako was itching to talk because she kept looking over at her and smiling. As they approached the vending machine, Ryuuko had decided to try and break the awkward silence between them.

"Iced coffee, right?"

"Mhm!"

"Here ya go then." The delinquent handed the other her drink, not looking in her direction and making sure that their hands wouldn't touch.

"Thank you Ryuuko-chan!" Mako exclaimed, beaming a smile at Ryuuko. She put the drink in her bag and her eyes locked onto her wristwatch. Mako's eyes widened in fear and she let out a gasp, "Oh no!"

"Hm?" Ryuuko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ryuuko-chan, we have 3 minutes! We're gonna be late if we don't hurry up!"

"It ain't no biggi—"

"We gotta run, Ryuuko-chan. Run at the speed of light!" Mako said, grabbing Ryuuko's wrist and taking off as if she was in a 5k marathon.

"O-Oy! Calm down already it doesn't really matter if we're late!"

"We can't be late to class Ryuuko-chan, it's the first day!" Mako exclaimed as they turned the corner. They finally made it to the door as the final bell rang and the two girls quickly made their way to their seats.

The rest of the day went by slowly for Ryuuko; it was always like this on the first day. Eventually school was over and teens piled out of the school along with Ryuuko. She went to her usual meeting spot and discussed what she couldn't talk about at lunch with her gang. After a few hours of planning and practicing techniques, Ryuuko headed to her room in the dorms. 'You have bags under your eyes for sure. No wonder you seem so cranky!' Mako's words from earlier rang in her mind and she shook her head. 'Geez that girl is something, huh?' Ryuuko thought as she entered her room, throwing off her shoes. She changed into her pajamas and collapsed onto her bed. 'I feel kinda bad for her though, she doesn't seem to have any friends and she was sittin' by herself in our spot...' was one of her last thoughts as she began to fall asleep.

_Beep beep! Beep beep! _

Ryuuko's hand slowly reached its way to slam down on the off button on her alarm clock. It took a few seconds for her to actually sit up, but when she did, she grabbed a towel and her clothes and went to take a quick shower before heading out. After rinsing herself off, Ryuuko headed off to class. When she walked in through the door, she saw Mako waving to her.

"Ryuuko-chan! Ryuuko-chan!" Ryuuko inwardly groaned as she made her way over to her seat. When she sat down, Mako frowned.

"What?"

"Ryuuko-chan, your hair's all wet."  
"Uh, yea. I just showered. What's the problem?"

"If you come to school with your hair wet, it might drip onto your papers!" Mako explained. "That's no good! It'll make the paper all ugly and when it dries it'll be all crinkly!" In order to express her point Mako took out a piece of paper and pulled on a few strands of Ryuuko's hair so water would fall onto the paper.

"Ow! What the hell?" Clearly the other girl wasn't paying attention to what Ryuuko had to say, because she shoved the piece of paper in Ryuuko's face.

"See! It's starting to dry up but it looks all ugly! And if it doesn't do that then it's so easy to rip the paper. Take better care of your hair and your paper, Ryuuko-chan!"

"If I shower right before I go to bed then I might catch a cold!" 'Jeez, just what's up with this girl?'

"Well, just shower—" Mako started.

"Alright class, time to begin!" Mr. Mikisugi said, stopping every conversation in its tracks. Class went by in the blink of an eye, though that might have been on account of Ryuuko barely paying attention. Her mind was once again absorbed in thoughts of defeating Satsuki, and maybe Ryuuko thought about the odd girl who sat next to her once or twice. When the bell rang to dismiss them to lunch and Mako quickly turned to face Ryuuko.

"Wait Ryuuko-chan!"

"Hm?"

"Guess what!"

"What?"

"Ryuuko-chan! You have to guess!"

"Kiryuuin retired as principal and her daughter is moving to another school?" Mako gasped, seemingly genuinely appalled by what Ryuuko had just said.

"How could you say something like that Ryuuko-chan?"

"Bite me. Now spill. What's up?"

"I made you something!"

"Huh?"

"Well last night when I got to my room I thought to myself, 'Hey that Ryuuko-chan sure was cranky today. I sure wish there was a way I could help her!'" Mako explained, as she began to rummage through her school bag for something, "Then it hit me! I thought that if I made you something then you wouldn't have to be so cranky! So…" Mako found what she was looking for, but she held it in the bag to create suspense, "I made you lunch!" She presented Ryuuko a red bento box, with a label on it reading 'Ryuuko-chan,' surrounded in a bunch of hearts and drawings of bunnies.

"A-Ah, thanks." Ryuuko replied, a bit embarrassed at how Mako had decorated her bento box.

"I also have some tea that tastes great with it! If you aren't a germaphobe then we can share, how does that sound?"

"Oy, listen. I appreciate you doin' all this stuff n' all but I told you yesterday that where I hang out at lunch is top secret and it's for talkin' about serious business. D'ya got that?"

"I know!" Mako stated matter of factly, "It's not like I'm gonna tell Satsuki-sama or anything you and your friends say, Ryuuko-chan!" Ryuuko sat there for a while, hesitating.

"Okay you can stay but you have to be willing to leave if I tell ya too, and if you tell anyone 'bout what my lil' friends and I say at lunch, you've got another thing comin'. Got it?"

"Mhm! Loud and clear, Ryuuko-chan!"

"Let's go then." Ryuuko said, getting up and heading towards the door. Mako followed her closely. They walked to the meeting place and sat down. A few gang members were waiting there, eagerly waiting Ryuuko and some information on her new friend and the bento box she was holding.

"Yo boss! Who's the 'lil lady you brought with ya?" One member said, while the others snickered, "She don't look like much of a fighter," He redirected his attention to Mako, "but I could be mistaken. So little lady, ya know how to throw a few punches n' kicks?" Mako looked confused and opened her mouth to say something, but Ryuuko gave her subordinate a narrow look.

"Leave her alone. She's just gonna eat here." Mako was surprised by the fact that Ryuuko stood up for her, but a smile spread across her face.  
"Eh? What if she goes talkin' 'bout our plans to Princess?" Someone groaned.

"Then I'll handle her. We've already talked about it, don't act like I'm irresponsible." Mako nodded and intervened.

"That's right! Ryuuko-chan's not irresponsible at all! She's working hard. She may be super cranky and never pays attention in class," 'Not like you do either." Ryuuko internally countered. "But it's probably because she's so invested in whatever it is you guys are planning! So be kind to Ryuuko-chan, she's trying her best to succeed in this shared goal of yours!" There was silence. 'This chick…just what's her deal?'

"Let's go sit down and eat lunch. We can talk about Princess and shit while we eat."

"Yes boss!"

After discussing sneak attacks, and eating the bento Mako had made for Ryuuko, lunch was over and, soon after, the school day was over as well. Mako headed to her room and Ryuuko headed to the meeting grounds to train. Eventually it was time to head back to the dorms and the gang began to chat a bit as they collected their belongings.

"Yo boss, who's that chick that was actin' all buddy-buddy with ya at lunch?" One member asked.  
"Yea she looked familiar. Was she the girl from yesterday? She's kinda weird." Another pitched in.

"Really dude? I dunno I thought she was a cutie. A nice change a pace from someone tough like you boss." Said a third member of the gang. Ryuuko glared at him. "Uh. No offense."

"Don't go talkin' to her. You might scare her off and then she'll _wanna_ tell Princess what's up." Ryuuko ordered, as she continued to put her things into her bag.  
"Didn't you say you'd handle her if that happened?" There was no reply, "What, _don't_ tell me you were bein' all talk n' no bite with her when you said that! D'ya have a thing for the girl _already_ boss?" She tensed at this and gritted her teeth.

"Shuddup! I can't just be rude to a girl who's done nothin' against me. 'Sides, she may be useful and she _is _a nice change of pace. It's nice to talk to someone other than you dickwads."

"Woah calm down boss. We won't hit on your _girlfriend_ or whatever." Ryuuko finished putting her things into her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and turned to the gang.

"Don't call her that. Anyways, I'll see ya later. You guys are a bit rusty on your techniques so be sure to work on that and have everything perfected so we can do somethin' next week. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" The gang said in unison.

As she made her way to the girls' dormitory, Ryuuko overheard two voices yelling at somebody. 'What the hells goin' on?" She thought. She hid behind the main entrance door and peeked into the lobby where she saw Hakodate and Fukuroda, two members of Satsuki's gang. They were cornering someone.

"Just tell us what you know 'bout Matoi's plans against Satsuki-sama!" Hakodate said, failing to control her anger.

"No! I promised Ryuuko-chan I wouldn't say anything!" Ryuuko's eyes widened and she clenched her grip on her bag. '_Fuck_. I didn't think Princess would stoop so low as to go after her. And this soon?'

"What's the big deal? You just met her!" Fukuroda questioned, taking a step forward to intimidate Mako.

"She's the first real friend I have a chance at making and I'm not gonna let you two ruin that!"

"Oh please just stop it. You're being pathetic." Hakodate looked down on Mako as she said this. She brushed her blonde pigtails out of her face and gave the smaller girl a scowl. "It's obvious she's not interested in being your friend. You've never really had any so what'd be so bad about losing an almost-friend who won't care for you like you do her? _We_ could be your friends if you just gave us what we wanted." '_Shit. _Things are takin' a turn for the worst_.'_

"No!" Mako objected. Her answer took Ryuuko by surprise, but not enough to stop her from listening in.

"No? If you just told us what it is she talked around you, you could join us and work for Satsuki. You'd be _surrounded_ by friends. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"I said no! I don't want to be friends with anyone like you two. I want to be friends with Ryuuko-chan!"

Fukuroda glared at Mako, trying to keep his composure, "You could be a lil' spy for us. That way you can hang out with your precious 'Ryuuko-chan' and still have us." He proposed.

"I said no!"

"You're such a frustrating little bitch!" Fukuroda pulled back his hand and Mako covered her face with her arms. Without thinking, words spilled out of Ryuuko's mouth:

_"Mako, look out!" _


	3. Chapter 3

Kill la Kill [AU]

Ryumako/Mankatoi (Ryuuko Matoi x Mako Mankanshoku)

Food Makes the World Go Round

Chapter 3

A cheesy high school AU where Ryuuko and her gang vow to take down Satsuki Kiryuuin of the student council, who is the leader of a gang herself. Yet on the first day of her second year, Ryuuko meets Mako Mankanshoku, and life ends up taking a completely different path than Ryuuko planned.

* * *

"Mako, look out!" Ryuuko saw Fukuroda's fist meet Mako's arms that shielded her face. She saw Mako get pushed into the wall, sliding down ever so slightly due to the force of the blow. It wasn't too long until Ryuuko's fist met Fukuroda's nose and she grabbed Mako's wrist and began to run. Taking a sharp turn into the nearest hallway, the two barely escaped for the time being; their attackers were still just around the corner. Ryuuko pushed Mako to the nearest wall and whispered in a tight voice.

"Stay here." Ryuuko turned and began making her way down the hall just as Hakodate began to make her way down. She leaped at the taller blonde girl and the two skidded on the carpeted floor for a few feet. Hakodate winced in pain from the impact and carpet burn. While she was distracted, Ryuuko delivered a punch. Hakodate quickly regained her composure and turned over, so she was above Ryuuko. She punched her twice. Ryuuko couldn't block the first one, but she could the second punch. With her mind in defensive mode, she kicked Hakodate off of her and jumped up.

While Hakodate staggered and attempted to regain her balance, Ryuuko threw a punch. Hakodate successfully blocked it and put all her weight on her left foot. She raised her right leg and attacked with a roundhouse kick. Ryuuko took a step back to widen her stance and blocked the kick with her forearm muscle to cushion the tension. Using her free arm, Ryuuko grabbed and locked onto Hakodate's leg. Then using the same arm she used to block, Ryuuko held onto Hakodate's shoulder. Ryuuko took a step up with her right leg and placed it behind Hakodate's left. Using Hakodate's lack of defenses to her advantage, Ryuuko pushed her down to the floor. Ryuuko spat at the ground as she looked down at the other.

"Don't fuckin' try hurtin' people who have nothin' to do with this fight, low life." Ryuuko's deep blue eyes stared intensely at Hakodate, who was experiencing immense pain, until she heard a familiar voice scream. She quickly turned around to see Mako who seemed distraught.

"Ryuuko-chan, behind you!" That's when it clicked. Or rather when two things did. Ryuuko remembered that, although he probably had a broken nose, Fukuroda was still present. At the same time, something hit her head. It all went black.

When Ryuuko first came to, she saw a white ceiling. 'Ouch. My head hurts like hell.' She tried sitting up, her vision still slightly blurred. She saw two blurs: a short one wearing white and black with brown hair and another one much taller than the other wearing all black with blonde hair. Finally her vision focused. She was in a room, but not her own. She looked ahead and saw Mako talking to the head of the disciplinary committee, Gamagoori Ira. Gamagoori was also a loyal member of Satsuki's gang and a part of her inner circle. Ryuuko opened her mouth to say something but the pain in her head stopped her from doing anything but wince. Despite the pain in her head, Ryuuko remained alert and listened into their conversation in case she needed to do something.

"I understand Gamagoori-senpai. I'll call my dad to send the school the money for the damage." Mako said, looking down at her feet.

"That won't cover it Mankanshoku. You have detention after school for the next week. Understood?" Despite talking to Mako, Gamagoori glanced past her and looked at Ryuuko, who made a face when they made eye contact.

"Okay, I'll be there." Mako stated. She closed the door quickly after Gamagoori gave her a nod. Mako turned and slid down the door and groaned, "I don't even understand how it was my fault!" She whined. Mako stopped when she realized Ryuuko was staring at her. The two just stared at each other for a minute but for two different reasons. Ryuuko stared because she was confused as hell; Mako stared because she was incredibly relieved. She scurried up and ran to Ryuuko's side, her eyes tearing up. "You're awake, Ryuuko-chan!"

"Care to fill me in on what's goin' on?" Ryuuko asked without hesitation. Mako's enthusiasm faded a bit, but she acquiesced.

"Fukuroda came and hit you on the head with a vase after you pushed Hakodate to the ground. They both got up and ran away when they saw I was still there and freaking out. I would've gone after them but I had to make sure you were okay! Anyways, I brought you to my room and took care of your wounds. My dad's a doctor and I'm extremely clumsy, so I have a big first aid kit. It really came in handy. Oh! And it turns out they got it on camera. Gamagoori came by while I was taking care of you and said I had to pay for the vase and serve detention for breaking it." Ryuuko gripped the sheets and growled.

"Yea. I heard. What the hell though? It ain't your fault that the vase broke! Just goes to show you how—" Ryuuko began to remember the events more clearly and her mind zoned in on the events pre Mako's recap. 'I am such an asshole! Shit.' Ryuuko internally scolded herself.

"Ryuuko-chan, does your head still hurt?" Mako whispered cautiously. Ryuuko turned to Mako and looked her dead in the eye, which caused Mako to flinch. "Do you need anything?"

"Mako, lemme see your arms."

"Eh?"

"That bastard punched you, didn't he? Let me see your arms."

"Worry about yourself! It's just a few bruises. Geez, you got hit in the head with a vase and yet you don't care enough to rest."

"Just lemme see." Ryuuko demanded. Mako sighed and raised her arms, but also covered her eyes, so Ryuuko could see. She was a bit taken back, but observed the bruises anyways. Mako peeked through her hands to see Ryuuko's reaction, which Ryuuko noticed. She raised an eyebrow, but decided that now that she had Mako's attention she could talk to her about a few things. Ryuuko grabbed Mako's arms and looked a bit closer; she used her thumb and pressed down on one of the bigger bruises on one of Mako's arm.

"Ow!" Mako yelped. "That hurt, Ryuuko-chan!"

"These are some nasty bruises, ya know?"

"Mmm, it hurt when he punched me." Mako said, pulling her arms away from Ryuuko. "_But_ being hit over the head with the vase must've hurt a lot more. Even if you're hurt you should feel bad for scaring me so much!"

"_What_? I was just on my way back from practice n' I see you up against a wall, _then_ I see you get punched, then I fight off the people buggin' you, _then_ I hear you scream and nearly have a heart attack and you're tellin' _me_ I should feel _bad_ for makin' _you_ worry?" Ryuuko raised her voice, but instantly regretted it as she recoiled due to the pain shooting straight to her head. Mako got up, grabbed a few pills and poured Ryuuko a glass of tap water. She came back and sat on the edge of the bed and handed them to Ryuuko.

"Honestly, you just keep worrying me, Ryuuko-chan."

"Well if you were _so worried _why didn't you take me to the nurse or call a hospital." Ryuuko snarled. Mako frowned, obviously hurt.

"The nurses office is _way_ too far from here! And hospitals cost money and take way too long to come! I thought that I could help you since I have a _huge_ first aid kit, and if it turned out to be really serious then I would've called the hospital! Besides, if I took you to the nurse then you might've gotten in trouble for getting in a fight." After hearing Mako's reasoning behind her actions and seeing the logic and consideration that was put into them, Ryuuko's heart sank to her stomach. 'God. I am _such_ an asshole.'

"Oy. I'm, uh," Ryuuko began to scratch the back of her neck, "sure glad you were there to help me then." Mako's smile didn't falter, but Ryuuko could tell she was disappointed. 'Why is saying sorry so _difficult?' _In order to excuse the upcoming awkward silence, Ryuuko gulped down the pills and water Mako gave her. "There's still stuff I wanna talk to ya 'bout though. Mainly I wanna explain to you why this whole situation's unfair."

"_Well_," Mako began, "I know that the situation is unfair! It wasn't my fault that the vase broke yet I still have to pay for it! I'm just not so sure about Hakodate and Fukuroda though. If it was Fukuroda that broke the vase, but I'm the one paying for it, does that mean that they won't be punished for what they did?"

"Bingo. The reason they ain't gettin' in trouble's 'cause they're with Princess Kiryuuin—daughter of the principal and student council president—and I'd bet'cha anythin' she sent them to get info outta you. If word got out that her subordinates got in a fight that she was behind, this school would go down in flames. No one was there but us involved, so they can easily make us shut up with promises that we won't get in trouble. Though on the other hand, it's a lot messier to pretend that the vase never broke. They could do it, but I don't think they'd go through the effort. 'Specially when they can just throw the blame on you in hopes that you'd pay for it then back out wantin' nothin' t' do with me. If I'm gonna be perfectly honest, it's prolly one thing I appreciate her doin'. "

"Eh? Why?"

"You need a wake-up call, Mako. If you hang around me, you're gonna get in trouble. I'm not a friendly person who's here to enjoy high school and clearly you are. If you keep hangin' around me, you _will_ get hurt. I can't let that happen. It's against my personal policy to let innocent people get hurt."

"Ryuuko-chan, I think it's up to me to decide whether I still wanna be your friend or not! What if I really did stop hanging around you and Satsuki captured me and hypnotized me into telling her what I heard you and your friends talking about at lunch?"

"What? Like hell that'd happen! Geez, don't be so ridiculous."

"I bet you didn't think that what happened today would happen! You never know and you gotta be careful; if Satsuki-sama really doesn't play fairly, then it's totally a possibility!" Ryuuko groaned.

"Well, then I wouldn't let it happen."

"But how would you not let it happen if we don't hang out? You'd have no way of knowing!"

"I'd think of something!" Ryuuko said defensively. 'I don't wanna admit it but she's right. Somethin' like that does seem up Satsuki's alley and I'd have no way of knowin'. Though I'm not too sure she'd use hypnosis, she'd do _anythin_' she'd have to t' make Mako talk.'

"Ryuuko-chan, do you have a roommate?"

"Huh? No why?"

"Well I don't either! I was thinking that maybe we could be roomies. That way, if anything happens to you during fights, I can be like your doctor or something! It can give you some peace of mind too! I really wanna be your friend, Ryuuko-chan, so if you move in then you'll be able to keep an eye on me and make sure I don't do anything that'll betray you _or_ get hurt by Satsuki!" Ryuuko froze up. 'I never wanted a roommate because I dig girls and didn't wanna creep anybody out, but the way she brings it up makes it so I can't really say no without seeming like an asshole. _Fuck. _How am I even supposed to act? I haven't roomed with a girl since I found out I was gay!' Ryuuko presumed she must've been thinking a lot longer than she thought she was because Mako began snapping in her face.

"What?"

"Ryuuko-chan, I'm not gonna take no for an answer. Just gimme the keys to your dorm and lemme know where it is and I'll go get your stuff, 'kay? Then I'll call up the dorm advisor and get her to bring in your bed from your dorm and move it into here." Ryuuko sighed and rummaged through her jacket pockets before pulling out her keys.

"Gotcha. It's 4-F. Just get me enough stuff to last me tonight. I can get the rest tomorrow."

"'Kay! We'll have to share a bed for tonight, but you don't mind. Right? I sure don't!"

'_Shit.'_


	4. Chapter 4

Kill la Kill [AU]

Ryumako/Mankatoi (Ryuuko Matoi x Mako Mankanshoku)

Food Makes the World Go Round

Chapter 4

A cheesy high school AU where Ryuuko and her gang vow to take down Satsuki Kiryuuin of the student council, who is the leader of a gang herself. Yet on the first day of her second year, Ryuuko meets Mako Mankanshoku, and life ends up taking a completely different path than Ryuuko planned

* * *

_'Shit.'_

Ryuuko didn't really have a choice in the matter of spending the night in the same bed as Mako. Mako made it irrefutable, but she did make some good points. This way, Ryuuko could keep an eye on her, and Mako could keep an eye on Ryuuko, even if Ryuuko thought that wasn't necessary.

"Ryuuko-chan, why are you facing the wall?" Mako murmured as she climbed into her bed next to Ryuuko, facing the other girl and poking her in the back. "We can't have deep, soul searching conversations if you're talking to a blank wall." Ryuuko didn't want to face Mako like this. 'What if I say something weird and gross while we're talking? What if after that, she thinks 'Ew, why did I ever let Ryuuko into my bed?' I mean she wants to be friends now and I guess I kinda wanna be her friend too but what if she finds out and wants nothing to do with me?'

"Jus' tired is all," she whispered, trying to convince Mako that it was seriously time for bed.

"Gosh, no fun allowed, Ryuuko!" Mako huffed a little and settled for turning over to face the opposite direction.

'I've been going out of my way to make sure I didn't have a chick for a roomie for a few years, and now look where I am now. Shit.' Ryuuko thought as she glared at the white wall in front of her. Right behind her, in the small twin sized bed that could have been considered cozy if it was not for the situation was Mako, breathing gently and making the act of falling asleep look like an art.

'I guess this isn't _so_ bad. I mean…I can't see her or anything, which I guess was the point in the first place to glue myself to the wall,' Ryuuko mused, 'Besides, I can't say anything dumb if she's asleep, and it's not like I'm gonna check her out or anything. No, that'd be gross, we're just kinda friends. Yeah, I think I'm doing pretty good right now.'

Ryuuko looked over her shoulder to take a glance at Mako, wondering if she actually managed to fall asleep that quickly. Mako was quietly sleeping, her back turned to Ryuuko. 'Makes sense. She did have a rough day today taking care of me and my injuries, and also getting punched in the arm. Getting punched in the arm?' Ryuuko silently gasped as she was reminded once again that Mako also received her share of unnecessary injuries during the day.

'Crap, she wasn't supposed to get involved in any of this shit. Why did I let her hang around with us? I shouldn't have let myself get distracted. She should've been gone the second we saw her hanging around our group. I knew Satsuki's gang was a bitch, but really? Mako shouldn't have gotten hurt. What if the bruises hurt a lot and she's just sucking it up because I got my ass kicked by a vase to the head? Shit, I really hope she's not,' Ryuuko thought as she frowned at one of the happy looking rabbits on Mako's bed sheets, the guilt settling in.

Ryuuko slowly turned around, being careful not to wake Mako as she propped herself up on one elbow and leaned over Mako and grabbed the arm closest to her to inspect the bruises. It was dark, but she could see that the bruises had already darkened. They would probably bother Mako for the rest of the week, and that only added to Ryuuko's growing sense of guilt.

"I thought you were tired, sleepyhead?" Mako's voice suddenly broke the silence and Ryuuko froze. '_Fuck!_'

"I, uh, am, it's just, y'know, it's prob'ly cause I got some shut eye earlier." Ryuuko tried not to sound like a deer caught in headlights. It's not even like she was doing anything wrong, she was just checking up on Mako.

The other girl was lightly giggling, turning slightly so she could look at Ryuuko with a drowsy smile. "That doesn't count as sleep at all, Ryuuko-chan."

"I s'pose not. But Mako, 'ere's some real talk: I'm sorry about your arm and everythin' else that happened today. I should've paid more attention to you. You got hurt 'cause of me."

"Oh, Ryuuko-chan, you don't have to worry about that. I'm tougher than I look! Really!" Mako tried to make her point by making a 'tough' looking expression, and flexing one of her bruised arms. This made Ryuuko crack a smile. "I should really be worrying about you more because you get into these dangerous fights! That's why you need me as your roomie and doctor."

"You don't have to though. You're only getting yourself into trouble, Mako. You're not safe with me."

"But I want to though, because I'm your friend. Besides, you know how to fight and I think right now, being around you might be the safest place."

Ryuuko didn't know what to say to that. She was staring at Mako for a little just to process it. She was getting that weird feeling in her chest, something akin to butterflies, and she was silently screaming at herself that this wasn't the time for that. Instead, Ryuuko gave Mako a small smile and reached an arm over to ruffle her hair up a bit.

"Thanks, Mako, it actually means a lot."

"It's no problem, Ryuuko-chan. But by the way, were you having a nightmare or something? You were making some weird grunt-y noises at the wall, and I was awake the whole time and worrying about you!"

Ryuuko immediately turned around and pulled the blanket up to her face. She must've been making actual noises when she was beating herself up about being an idiot.

"G'night!"

"But Ryuuko-chan!" Mako protested.

"Night!"

* * *

The next morning, Ryuuko and Mako went to class, which was over pretty soon considering that Mako had fallen asleep and Ryuuko wasn't paying any attention. When the bell rang, Ryuuko looked at Mako, who looked slightly uncomfortable resting her head on the desk, rather than on her bruised up arms. She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly trying to figure out the best way to wake her up. 'Do I just tell her t' wake up or do I gotta shake her or somethin'?' After a minute of contemplating, Ryuuko gently nudged Mako.

"Oy, wake up," Mako opened her eyes, raised her head and began to look around, "It's lunch time and the guys are waitin'. We should go so they don't, uh, assume somethin's up." 'Don't want them teasin' me 'specially since they'll get a kick outta us being roommates now.' Mako nodded and got out of her chair and rummaged through her bag for two bentos. She handed the red bento box from before to Ryuuko.

"Here ya go, Ryuuko-chan!" she said. Ryuuko raised an eyebrow.

"When did'ya make this?"

"This morning, duh! Before you woke up!" Ryuuko frowned and the two began walking to the meeting spot.

"You don't have to make me lunch ya know." She cautioned, not wanting to seem ungrateful for what Mako had done.

"Eeeeh? But we're roomies! Besides I told you, food makes the world go round! If you eat lunch, you'll be in better spirits and have more energy for the rest of the day!" Mako punched the air and Ryuuko gave her a small smile and put her hands in her pockets.

"Can't exactly argue with that." When they reached the meeting grounds, the gang members who were gathered turned their heads and grinned. One member stepped ahead of the rest and crossed his arms.

"What took ya two so long? You've been late to lunch a lot more often." Ryuuko glared and waved him off.

"Class is just far away. 'Sides that don't matter. We got important things to talk about," The members raised their eyebrows and Mako tilted her head, confused. "Princess got some of her knights to try cornerin' Mako ov'r there," All eyes shifted to Mako, who flinched in response to the concerned and angered stares, "They tried hurtin' her but luckily I was there. Long story short: A vase broke an' it was blamed on her. Now she's got detention. I need one of you guys to get detention for a week before today ends so you can watch ov'r her."

"Ryuuko-chan! I don't think anything bad's gonna happen in detention you don't have to wor—" Mako protested, but was quickly interrupted by Ryuuko, who gave her a stern look:

"Listen. Gamagoori is a part of Satsuki's gang, and he's also gonna be there to watch over you during detention. She sent people to try and get information outta you once and they failed. I wouldn't put it past her to try it again and I don't wanna bargain you gettin' hurt again. Ya understand?" Mako nodded.

"So boss. If ya want someone to watch over, uh, Mako, right?"

"Yup!"

"Good," The gang member smiled, "Anyways if ya need someone to watch over her I could do it. I got a really strict teach next class so I bet if I came to class late and maybe made a scene, she'd give me a weeks worth of detention." Ryuuko eyed the gang member up and down. 'This was the one who said he thought Mako was kinda cute, right? I dunno if I'd want him watchin' ov'r her but I don't think I got a choice.' As she evaluated the gang member, all eyes were on her. 'Though it's not like I'd really fully trust anyone here to watch ov'r her 'cept myself, but I gotta run practice. Fuck. I guess it's gotta be him then.'

"Fine." Her fellow delinquent fist pumped the air and swung his arm around Mako's neck, giving her a noogie.

"Don't worry, I'll get detention and protect ya from that bad Kiryuuin." Mako laughed, and squirmed a bit to make sure nothing hit her arms by accident. Ryuuko took notice and walked up to him, pushing him away.

"Oy! Be careful. Just introduce yourself to her and leave it at that." He rolled his eyes but did as she said. He reached out his hand, which Mako took and shook.

"Name's Takeshi. Nice t' meet ya."

"Great meeting you too!" Mako smiled. 'She's not even at her first day of detention and I can already tell I'm gonna be worried sick.'

"Right. Now that that's ov'r with let's get to business." Ryuuko walked over and sat on a wall. Mako walked over and sat next to her and began eating her lunch. Ryuuko went over the game plan for the upcoming week, and ate her own lunch in between her speeches. The weather was pleasant and everyone seemed to be a bit livelier. 'Can't be any reason in particular.' Even though that's what Ryuuko thought, her eyes drifted to Mako, who caught Ryuuko looking at her. She gave Ryuuko a smile then went back to her lunch.

The rest of the day dragged on and soon the two girls parted ways. Ryuuko, of course, was uneasy leaving Mako in Takeshi's care, but she had no choice. She walked Mako to the detention room before heading off to practice.

"You sure ya gonna be fine?"

"Mhm," Mako nodded, "Takeshi-kun is gonna be with me, right? If you're still worried though I could give you my number!" 'Don't accept. Don't accept otherwise you're just gonna come off as way too over-protective and creepy'

"I'll just give you mine. If anything happens just call. I don't usually get calls so I'll know if it's you. Remember, if anyone tries to hurt you block with your forearm muscle, then run. Call me if you can't get out of a situation and I'll be here as soon as I can." 'God dammit.' Mako nodded and took out a pen. She wrote down the numbers as Ryuuko told them to her.

"Mmkay got it!"

"Great. Anyways, I'm headin' off. "

"Wait! I totally forgot we gotta move your things in!"

"I'll just wait here after training. We can head up to my room and grab the rest of my stuff," Mako nodded, "See ya!" Ryuuko waved. Mako waved back until Ryuuko turned the corner, then she disappeared into the classroom and took a seat. She saved the one next to her for Takeshi, who came in about 5 minutes later. They enjoyed detention just about as much as a person possibly could while Ryuuko worked out and trained with the other gang members, Mako being on her mind a good amount of the time.

Practice was over and Ryuuko checked her phone. '5:45…Detention ends in 15 minutes. Guess I gotta few minutes to spare before I gotta meet up with Mako, but then again it would be nice to keep an eye on Takeshi too…' Ryuuko walked through the halls leading to the detention room. She stopped when she saw a vending machine, 'Maybe I'll get her a drink…She likes iced coffee, right?' Ryuuko approached the machine and put in enough money to get herself a cola and Mako, an iced coffee. With the drinks in hand, she continued her way to the detention room.

Once she got there, she leaned on the wall opposite of the door. She put the drinks on the windowsill next to her and played with her phone. After a few minutes, the door opened and a laughing Mako and Takeshi emerged.

"Dude, I can't believe that kid fell for his own flour trap!" Takeshi said between laughs. Mako wiped tears from her eyes and nodded. Then she caught notice of Ryuuko. If it was even possible, her smile grew twice as big. She skipped over to Ryuuko and gave her a huge hug.

"O-Oy!"

"Ryuuko-chan, you did wait!" Mako exclaimed, snuggling her head into Ryuuko's chest.

"Well, yea. I said I was gonna," Ryuuko said offended, "Why wouldn't I?" Mako shook her head.

"Never mind that! What's that?" she asked, pointing to the drinks next to Ryuuko.

"Oh, uh, I was thirsty after practice and decided that you could've needed a drink too. Also it's kinda a thank you for the lunch." Ryuuko replied awkwardly, scratching her cheek. Mako grabbed and opened her iced coffee and took a sip.

"Aah, this hits the spot. Thank you, Ryuuko-chan!"

"Oh, no problem," at this point the two girls realized Takeshi was still standing there awkwardly. Ryuuko raised an eyebrow, "Uh, thanks for watchin' ov'r her by the way."

"No prob. It was fun. See ya tomorrow Mako?" Mako nodded. "Good, well I'm off. Bye boss!" Takeshi gave them a quick wave of the hand, then turned and walked down the hall. After he disappeared from sight, Mako turned to Ryuuko.

"You ready to go get your things?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

(Aly and Peri)


	5. Chapter 5

After practice, Ryuuko went to pick Mako up from detention and the two of them moved Ryuuko's belongings into Mako's room.

"There. That's the last of it." The two looked proudly at the room's new arrangement. Before hand, Mako's bed was pressed against the furthest wall horizontally, with the desk and drawers facing each other on the opposing sidewalls. Surrounding Mako's bed, stuffed animals were piled up against the wall. The room was a complete and utter mess.

Now Ryuuko's bed and Mako's bed were against opposite walls, and the desk was placed equidistance between the two beds against the furthest wall, below the window so lots of natural light would come in. Their respective drawers were a few feet away from the desk, just behind the head of their bed.

"Phew! Thank god, I thought we'd be moving your furniture in for the rest of the school year, Ryuuko-chan!" Mako exclaimed, jumping and falling onto Ryuuko's bed. She rolled up in the covers and looked at the delinquent, who gave her a puzzled look. She smiled. Ryuuko sighed.

"If ya were thinking about sharing a bed with me, then why make us spend 30 minutes gettin' my old bed 'n here," Ryuuko grabbed the red duvet and pulled, dragging Mako along with it until it slipped underneath her and she clung to the side of the bed; Ryuuko dropped the duvet on the floor and put her hands in her jacket pocket, giving Mako a sly grin, "Ya gonna wait a lil' longer to get off my bed? 'Cause I'll pick you up and put you on your bed if it's gonna take a while."

"Boo! You're no fun, Ryuuko-chan!" Ryuuko opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Mako's stomach growling. She rolled over onto stomach and groaned.

Ryuuko raised an eyebrow, then burst out in laughter.

"I guess all that work made ya hungry, eh? Er, how about it then? I'll take ya' out for dinner! J-Jus' don't get used to it! This a one time thing!" She quickly got up to prevent Mako from seeing her face redden up. _'It's just as a thank you Ryuuko! This isn't a date! Not a date…not a date...'_ She grumbled to herself as she put her shoes on. Mako got up to put her shoes on as well, but noticed Ryuuko looking a little distressed. She hopped over next to Ryuuko, trying to slip one of her flats on and keep her balance on her other leg.

"What's the matter Ryuuko? You're muttering under your breath and you look a bit sweaty," Mako stood normally now, both shoes on. She walked in front of Ryuuko to try as see her face, "You're not sick right? If you are we shouldn't go out to eat, and I can look through my first-aid and maybe make you some soup or—"

"No, I'm fine! It's jus' getting a bit stuffy in here is all," She hurriedly opened the door and stepped out, waiting for the other to join her, "Let's go!"

Ryuuko didn't try to strike up any conversation as they walked down the cream halls; Mako hummed to herself the whole way out of the building. When the two got outside and walked over to the student parking lot, Ryuuko turned to Mako.

"Uh, so I hope you're okay with riding my scooter. The place isn't that far." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as they approached their vehicle. Ryuuko opened up the compartment, taking out two helmets. "I have an extra helmet for you to use, just put it on and climb on the back with your feet still touching the floor okay?"

Mako nodded understandingly and put on her helmet. Ryuuko climbed onto her scooter, turned it on and put her own helmet on. Soon after, Mako climbed on the back, wrapping her arms around Ryuuko's waist, which caused her to tense a bit. She tried to brush it off.

"I hope you're ready," She said as she began to take off, slowly at first, then gaining speed. She felt Mako tighten her grip and pull herself closer to her, "You okay back there? Want me to slow down?" Ryuuko called out. She could feel Mako gently shaking her head against her back.

"No, I'm good!"

The rest of the ride continued in comfortable silence, as they didn't enjoy having to nearly scream to say something to the other. When they arrived at the small restaurant café, Ryuuko cut off the motor and got off, Mako following close behind. They both took off their helmets and put them back in the compartment. As they drew nearer to the door, Mako scurried ahead and opened the door, holding it open.

"After you, Ryuuko-chan!" Mako said confidently, gesturing with her arms for Ryuuko to enter. She chuckled and walked inside, asking the hostess for a table for a party of two while Mako held the door open for a few other customers that came in close behind Ryuuko.

Once the hostess was ready to show them to their seats, Ryuuko turned to Mako who was closing the door, gently grabbed her arm and started pulling her ahead, worried they'd fall behind the hostess. They were seated and given menus, and the hostess left to attend to other guests. They browsed the menu as they waited for their waiter or waitress to come up and ask them about their drinks and food.

"So uh, ever been here before?" Ryuuko asked, feeling pressured to start a conversation in the extremely social environment. Mako shook her head, letting a small sigh.

"I used to pass by here all the time, but I never had anyone to come here with, " Ryuuko peeked over form her menu. '_Man. She could've been passing by this restaurant just wantin' to have a friend to share a good time with while I was eating here perfectly fine bein' all alone'_, "That is until today! I'm here with you!"

"Really?"

"Mhm! You know, I'm kinda glad I never came in here until I met you!" Mako smiled happily, which made Ryuuko's stomach flutter a bit. '_God dammit. She's really cute. Maybe I'm just not used to hangin' out with someone like her? Yea, that's it. I'm used to hangin' 'round the gang and they're all tough, so no wonder I'm so off-guard and awkward 'round her. Bingo. You're a genius, Ryuuko.'_

"Ryuuko-chan? Ryuuko-chan!" Mako was leaning over the table, snapping her fingers in front of Ryuuko's face.

"Huh?" 'Guess I spaced out…'

"Were you even listening to me?" Mako frowned, sitting back down in her seat.

"Did you say anything after the whole thing 'bout being glad you came here with me?"

"Well, sorta."

"Aha, uh, sorry," Ryuuko rubbed the back of her neck._ 'Nice going Ryuuko.'_, "Could you repeat it?"

"Nu-uh."

"What? Why not?"

"I'll tell ya another time when you're listening!"

"No fair! C'mon!"

"I'll tell you later when you're listening!" Ryuuko sighed in defeat.

"Anyways, we should probably order our drinks, I could use some coffee right about now, what about you?" Mako hummed a bit, scanning the menu.

"Hmmm, I think I'll get black tea with milk," She nodded. They got the attention of a waitress, ordered their drinks, and then skimmed the menu for food. "Man, everything looks so good doesn't it Ryuuko-chan? I don't know what to choose!" Mako sighed as she looked through the entire menu for the third time.

"Hey don't worry if its too expensive, I'm paying for both of us."

"Eeeeh? No way Ryuuko-chan! That's not fair to you! Really. I'll just choose something so you don't have to wait on me, but I'm paying!" Ryuuko shook her head, smiling. _'Boy she's stubborn, but I'd feel bad if I let her pay for her food. She always makes me lunch.'_

"Hey, I thought I made it p damn clear when we left I was payin', so don't sweat it. It's a thank you for makin' me lunch everyday. I have money that I didn't spend on lunch, but if it's meant to be spent on food what's the harm in takin' a pretty g—" Ryuuko quickly caught herself.

"Pretty g—?"

"Pretty good maybe friend—room mate out for dinner! '_Phew. Nice save_.' The waitress approached them with their drinks and held out their notepad.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Mhm," Mako said, "I'll have the, uh, croquettes!"

"I'll have the beef bowl."

"Got it. I'll bring your food over as soon as possible."

"Thank you!" The two said in unison. Ryuuko turned to Mako, raising an eyebrow.

"Croquettes, huh? You seem to me like you'd go for tonkatsu or ramen."

"Mmm, I like those, but something about croquettes is nostalgic. My mom made them all the time for me. She won't give me the recipe now, but hopefully soon! Nothing beats her croquettes. Maybe you'll get to eat them someday!" Ryuuko shrugged.

"Maybe."

Mako changed the subject and the two talked about the kind of weather they preferred to how they liked their ramen to be prepared—anything they could think. Finally, the waitress arrived with their meals and they ate. Mako ended up letting Ryuuko pay for the meal, much to Ryuuko's satisfaction, as she didn't want to bicker with the other.

* * *

When they got their dorm, they changed into their pajamas and Mako began prepping some of the food for their lunch the next day. Meanwhile, Ryuuko laid on her stomach on her bed, flipping through the movies and shows on Netflix on her tablet. '_Dunno what to watch… Maybe I should invite Mako to watch one with me, and she can pick whatever we watch? Maybe she actually wants to get some sleep since we do still have school tomorrow.' _Ryuuko glanced at the clock. '_9:45, huh? She prolly won't but I guess it doesn't hurt t' ask…'_ As if she could read her thoughts, and Ryuuko was grateful that she couldn't, Mako jumped onto Ryuuko's bed and peaked over the other girls' shoulder.

"What'cha gonna watch?"

"Huh? Oh, uhm, I wasn't too sure actually. If ya wanna maybe watch somethin' with me ya can choose anythin' really. I don't mind." Mako looked at the screen for a bit, then pointed at one of the movies under the action section.

"Oooh, how about Iron Man? Have you ever seen it? I bet you'd like it! There's lots of fighting!" Mako bounced up and down as Ryuuko clicked on the movie, chuckling to herself.

"What's so funny?"

"I wouldn't imagine you likin' these kind of movies. I was expectin' more like cute n' cuddly movies, or chick flicks." Mako pouted.

"Well I thought it would be a good idea to pick a movie we'd both like that's all!"

"I was just messin' around," Ryuuko reassured, gently elbowing Mako, "I've never seen the movie but I'll trust you. "

Halfway through the movie Ryuuko was sucked in, almost like a trap. She didn't expect to find this movie do interesting and the fact that Mako knew half the lines made it even more enjoyable.

"So how many times have you seen this movie?" Ryuuko asked jokingly, but she was shushed by Mako.

"Only like 4 times, now shh! You're gonna miss something important if you keep talking!"

Towards the end of the movie Ryuuko felt something on her shoulder. She looked over, she realized mako had fallen asleep and was leaning her head on Ryuuko's shoulder. '_Should I wake her up? I mean she looks so…peaceful and cute…Shit. I should probably do somethin'...'_ Ryuuko hesitated a bit, but then pulled the covers from under Mako and pulled them over her.

_'I don't want to move her and maybe wake her up, so we can share a bed again tonight…Nothin's gonna happen!_ Nothing else occupied Ryuuko's mind, and instead she focused on Mako, who had a small smile on her face, which was turned to face Ryuuko. Her back would move up and down whenever she took a breath and she looked like she was having some sweet dreams._ 'I should probably go to sleep too, I feel like a creep watchin' her sleep.' _Turning around from Mako, Ryuuko scooted closer to the wall, to ensure that there was a reasonable distance between them.

* * *

The next day dragged on like any usual school day. Mako had fallen asleep, not that it was much of a shock to anyone, while Ryuuko would tune in and out of the lectures, occasionally jotting down notes for the both of them. Once the bell rang signaling lunch had started, Mako bolted up, turning to Ryuuko.

"Ryuuko-chan, I made us a really nice lunch today so if you gotta make a speech to your friends make it quick so you have enough time to eat!"

"The lunches ya make are always really nice, but don't worry I don't know if I really got much talkin' t' do in the first place." Ryuuko replied, swinging her bag over her shoulder

"Mmm, let's go, let's go!" Said the brunette, linking arms with her roommate. They walked into the halls and to the meeting place, taking their seat on the short wall while the gang, and Mako, looked at Ryuuko with expecting eyes.

"So boss, ya got anythin' t' report?"

"Nah, truthfully I think y'all should just practice while I sit here n' eat my lunch. I saw most of you were slow and behind the last few practices, so get to it! I don't wanna have t' extend practice n' see your faces for any longer than I have to."

There was an insecure murmur, followed by a 'Yes boss!' from every member of the group, who got into pairs and began to practice their techniques.

While the team practiced, Mako bounced up and down, pulling trash and barely used notebooks, though very used sketchbooks, out of her bag until she pulled out two bento boxes. She handed Ryuuko hers, then opened up her own box. They clasped their own hands together and said, "Thanks for the meal!"

Ryuuko looked down at her food, then at Mako who was eating like a monster was going to come and steal her food, before looking back down. Mako had made her beef curry, with rice on the side, but still drizzled with a little of the curry sauce. From the looks of it, there were some carrots in it too. Figuring she had been admiring it for too long, Ryuuko dug in.

Even though it was cold, it had still tasted delicious. The meat was not too tender, and then rice wasn't too dry. She happily began to eat more, smiling more than satisfied with the lunch the smaller girl had made her. Suddenly, she felt Mako poking her sides.

"Hm? What up?"

"I made our lunches different. Try some of mine," Mako picked up some tonkatsu from her bento with her chopsticks and turned to Ryuuko, brining the food close to her face, "Say 'Aaaah', Ryuuko-chan!" Ryuuko took a bite of the food, and a smile spread across her face.

"Damn, that's good! You sure know how t' cook." Mako opened her mouth to reply to Ryuuko's compliment, but another voice cut into the conversation.

"Yo boss," It was Takeshi, who shifted his weight from one leg to another, "Ya know how ya mentioned extendin' practice? Rather not wantin' t' extends it?"

"I don't have the memory of a goldfish. Go on." She scowled, upset her nice conversation was interrupted.

"Well it jus' reminds me that Gamagoori made some announcement when Mako was 'sleep in detention, which is why she hasn't told ya yet." Ryuuko turned to Mako.

"Ya feel asleep in detention? That's dangerous in more than one way Mako." Takeshi once again interrupted before Mako could respond.

"Back t' what I was tryin' t' say. He says Mako n' I can get rid of all our hours of detention for the week if we's just stay at detention today til' 'round 8. "

"Why would they do that? 'Sides isn't 8 kinda late, who would even take up that offer anyways?" He shrugged.

"I dunno. I just decided I'd take it so I could come to practice again. Don't wanna fall too behind. But since I'm gonna be goin', Mako's gonna have t' do it too so I can protect her like ya wanted." Ryuuko nodded, then turned to Mako.

"That sit well with you?"

"Mhm!

"Guess I have no complaints then," Ryuuko said. She turned her attention to Takeshi once more, "Jus' make sure Mako doesn't fall asleep durin' detention."

"Relax boss! That Gamagoori guy hasn't given her extra detention even when he sees her sleepin'. 'Sides, if she did get more detention I'd have to get more too, right? Jeez, ya make it sound like ya don't trust me or somethin'."

"Guess I don't really trust anyone to protect her like I'd want them too." Ryuuko mumbled under her breathe.

"Ryuuko-chan, what was that?"

"Hm? Nothin', nothin'! I just want Takeshi to go back to training so I can finish eatin' my lunch is all." She eyed Takeshi, who got the message and waved goodbye before going back and joining up with his sparring partner.

Soon, lunch was over and they all went back to their classrooms. Once class was over, Ryuuko walked Mako off to the detention room, wishing her good luck and telling her to be strong and not fall asleep during the lengthy detention, before going off to practice. All was well.

* * *

Ryuuko turned her eyes to the clock. _'7:40, huh? Guess I should go n' wait for Mako.' _After heaping herself off the bed and putting her shoes on, Ryuuko made sure she had her key, then left.

Following her normal routine, she bought the two of them drinks and put them on the windowsill, refusing to open her own drink until Mako had greeted her. It was always nice to toast the end of detention or practice, and the start of procrastinating on all their school assignments together.

A few minutes went by and Ryuuko looked at her phone_. '7:57? Damn. A few more minutes to wait.'_ Ryuuko began to tap the windowsill impatiently. _'Why'd they even extend detention in the first place? I mean I guess it kinda makes sense since now she won't have to go to detention for the rest of the week 'cause she's served all her hours, but they never offered me that kinda deal. Hope it's not 'cause that Gamagoori guy is giving her the goo-goo eyes and tryin' to cut her some slack in some weird ass way.' _

7:58. _'I mean that'd just be some lame Romeo and Juliet shit, though I ain't like her family or anythin'. Would still be the same concept though 'cause like hell I'd let Mako outta my sight if I thought that was goin' down.' _7:59. _'That's just cause it'd be bad for the gang. But I shouldn't worry too much. I don't see her as that kinda person.' __**8.00.**_

'_Yea. She wouldn't do somethin' like that at all. Even if I haven't known her for too long, she's a sweet, loyal person. I mean she didn't wanna leave me even when she was cornered. And she did kinda force me to room with her. Maybe it's a set up though? To get some dirt on me.'_ **8:03**._'Jeez I just need to shut up and stop worryin' 'bout all that. It's. Not. Gonna. Happen.'_ **8:10**.

Ryuuko looked at her watch and raised an eyebrow. '_No one's left yet? I thought it ended at 8. Gamagoori's super punctual too so I can't imagine he'd hold them in 'less they did somethin' to earn them more detention, but if that was the case Takeshi or Mako would've texted me, right? Mako would have for sure.' _

Suddenly it clicked.

Ryuuko pushed her self from against the wall and straight to the door, grasping at the handle. She tried to slide it open. Locked. Her heart dropped and she stopped thinking clearly. Ryuuko just stood there: dumbfounded, scared, humiliated and pale; her clammy hands still holding onto the handle of the door her friend and roommate should have been behind.


End file.
